D-HEX-23675 Journals - Journal 2: Eliciting a response of Disobedience
by Aerisnoir
Summary: [G1][Dystopian, speculative] Salaxorius, Master of Inquisition, orders Emphisa's recently introduced prototype to his office for integrity testing. The Quintesson is known for his tough tests of will and his great dislike for Cybertronians. But can he lure the young mech into failure? [Research log uploaded - journal complete]
1. Chapter 1

Title: Testing unit D-Hex-23675: Eliciting an Emotional response of Disobedience.  
Journal #2 in the D-HEX-23675 Journals series.  
Author: Aerisnoir  
Link to Journal #1: Introducing Unit D-HEX-23675.  
s/9511369/1/D-HEX-23675-Journals-Journal-1-Introdu cing-unit-D-Hex-23675

_Chapter: The Lore of Cybertron_  
[Location: Khalanxis Court Halls, Salaxorius' offices]

Two machines made their way from the bowels of Khalanxis to one of the anterior buildings. Not just any building. The Grand Court of Justice. Perhaps even more important than the tower of Khalanxis itself. Depending on who you'd ask, definitely more important.  
The mechs were very different from one another. One was big and bulky, with spikes jutting from the plating on its shoulders and with thick rugged armor on its backside. It was an Allicon, native built on Quintessa. It carried a sharp and well-maintained ranseur polearm as was protocol for its class. It stood registered as 'Kalldfire 6625-394-99', but was more commonly called 'Cindermaw'.  
The other mech was a sharp contrast to the Allicon; It was incredibly small, had no spikes, no battle-worthy armor and no weapons. In contrast to the Allicon, it had no beak but a sculpted facial design. It was known as unit D-HEX-23675, codename Hextaida Mandar. It followed the obvious warrior around, maintaining to the left flank at all times.  
What they were en route to only they knew. To be specific, only the Allicon knew. His face was stern and grim, and the reptile tail he could also use in robot mode sometimes managed to break off into an anxious swish left and an annoyed swat right.

"Little one." Cindermaw suddenly speaks and halts. He turns to the left and looks down at the small mech at his side. The azure optics are watching him intently. There was something about those optics that was curious, but the Allicon ignored his thoughts. He wasn't even sure why he halted, but he felt an urgency regarding their current destination. "…" He opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find any words. The smaller mech watched him patiently, face neutral. Eventually, Cindermaw commanded, "Unit D-HEX-23675, Order: Repeat the fifth commandment of USVIDA to me."  
Promptly, without hesitation, the mech replied, "Affirmative, Guardian unit Cindermaw Sir; The fifth commandment of USVIDA, our codex of proper behavior, is: We must show Discipline in form and thought."  
Cindermaw nodded and straightened, relieved by the answer, "Well answered, unit. Keep that principle in mind today. Remember it. Remember it /very well/." Then, the Allicon continued leading his charge down the hall. They eventually came upon a large and ornamented door. The name plaque besides it read 'Offices of Salaxorius, Master of Inquisition.'  
There were two Allicons positioned as guards, their armor coated in adamantium and ordained with silver and gold. Their grandness made Cindermaw look raw and scarred but as it so happened none of the four mechs were taught to compare each other based on decorations. They greeted each other as equals.  
They did not, however, go through the usual identification pattern. Instead, Cindermaw already dutifully extended his right hand to let the ID-chip be read and one of the adorned guards stated matter-of-factly, "Unit Kalldfire 6625-394-99, you are here per the summons of the Honorable Master of Inquisition Salaxorius, Inquisitor for the Quintesson Empire. Have you brought experimental prototype unit D-HEX-23675 with you as instructed?"  
Cindermaw nodded and motioned towards the little mech at his left flank, "Affirmative, brother. This is the requester prototype unit."  
The guard bended down on one knee to which Hextaida also extended his right hand. After the guard scanned it and rose with a satisfied nod, the doors were opened to let the two in. Cindermaw let his spear disappear into subspace as it was forbidden and disrespectful to brandish weapons inside offices unless instructed otherwise.

The two stepped inside a room where the atmosphere was controlled to be extraordinary pure. Quintessa had an atmosphere rich in natural gasses and acidic isotopes. Nothing harmful to exposure unless one swam directly in the acid lakes, but the hints were present in the air, and thus it lingered in the halls of Khalanxis. These chambers, however, were purified and filtered. It was a matter of taste, and a statement.  
The room was also pristine, the metal neat and polished and unscratched. A delicate mat of woven Cybrox wool dictated where one was allowed to walk. Curiously enough the dictated path led visitors past ornaments and trophies; almost all of them analogues and summaries of court records and articles of /perfect/ investigations.  
Cindermaw couldn't help but glance shortly at the hollowed out helmet of what used to be an Allicon. It was set levitating on top of a display mantle, with a plaque reading 'Uzur the unhallowed – traitor to the Empire – Arrested, Judged, Executed.'  
They crossed the displays and came upon a secondary room where a large desk was centered amidst bookshelves. Behind it was a large screen. A five faced Quintesson hovered behind the desk, reading through some files. There was no doubt that it perceived the two robots walking up to the bureau but it chose to ignore them.  
Cindermaw straightened up, clasped his hands behind his back and nodded respectfully, "Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir." He greeted, but didn't expect a reply. He would get one when the Master saw fit, after all.  
Next to him, D-HEX-23675 followed the example of the Allicon by standing still. It wasn't instructed on military standards for /obvious/ reasons, but after a moment of standing there it did begin to compare its posture with that of its Allicon leader… and correct itself.  
Show Discipline in /form/ and thought.

After a while, Salaxorius laid down the documents that he was perusing and regarded his visitors. "Unit Kalldfire 6625-394-99, you have brought in the experimental prototype as I requested. I am not disappointed in that."  
Cindermaw bowed courteously, "All hail your commands, Master of Inquisition. This one is happy to serve you." It wasn't even a lie. Allicons could not lie to their Quintesson masters. They could be /mistaken/ but they could not tell untruths. If they did, they would automatically be Corrected. And besides, why wouldn't Cindermaw be happy to serve? Salaxorius was a Master too… "What would you have us do, Sir?" He questioned.  
"You? Nothing." Salaxorius hovered to full height and proceeded to business: "Allicon, your services are needed no further. Leave us." Cindermaw did not show any sign of his hesitation but inwardly he cringed. The Quintesson wants him to leave the prototype behind? He'd have no overview on what would transpire, meaning that Emphisa and Fernicius also wouldn't have a direct line of witness for today. Still, he was ordered to leave and he could not disobey. Out of other options, Cindermaw nodded, saluted, and turned. He looked down on the D-HEX unit, "Unit, you are to remain here with Master Salaxorius until he commands otherwise." Then, he walked off without a word.  
He knows of a few who are not going to be happy seeing him return to the Aphos wing empty-handed…

[Location: Khalanxis, Aphos wing, lab G-20.17]

"He wants /WHAT/?" Emphisa's angry shout reverberates through the hall. At some places, scientists and employees halt their work to glance nervously in the direction where their chief's voice came from.  
"No, no, no! That is against protocol! It cannot-"The single-faced Quintesson exclaims, glaring at Fernicius who twitched his tentacles helplessly, "He cannot be serious. Did he not read the documentation, our rules, the protocols!"  
"Revered Chief Emphisa…" Fernicius hardly ever called his partner by rank, but in this situation it was simply the wisest thing to do, "If Salaxorius is opposed, he will shut down this project. You know that the Overseer will take his advice easily. It would make all of our work for nothing. It is but a small request, Emphisa, and his intentions are sound… enough."  
"His petition for the materials requested only adhere to protocol because he is the Master of Inquisition and meticulous to a fault. There is nothing sound about it. We /said/ we didn't do these kinds of procedures! There's a 99.78 percent chance he will-Gyah! But-but fine!" Emphisa turned in exasperation and glared at the Sharkticon standing silently in the middle of their lab, "Macetail, wait outside while we work. Fernicius, prepare the materials. I will collect the other required elements." He snatched the datapad where the order stood inscribed upon and scowled, "Yes, I will go and collect the other required elements."  
"As you command, Esteemed colleague." Fernicius nodded.  
"Acknowledged, Master Creator Emphisa Sir." Macetail affirmed as well, saluted, turned and walked out of the room. Emphisa followed him out on his way to collect those other materials they would need.  
Fernicius sighed and turned to face the vault door set firmly in one of the walls.  
He had a bad feeling about this.

[Location: Khalanxis Court Halls, Salaxorius' offices]

The Quintesson stared at the diminutive mech standing in front of his desk. It hadn't moved since Cindermaw left it behind as he had ordered. The azure optics were staring back without shame, even daring to watch with curiosity. The steel blue and sandy brown frame was distinctively different from the Sharkticons and Allicons that were abundant on the Quintesson forces.  
No, whichever way Salaxorius looked at the mech, it screamed 'Cybertron' to him. He briefly deduced that if it were to stand amidst rebellious tech, those units wouldn't even regard him as different.  
Small, perhaps. But not different.  
"So, this is unit D-HEX-23675." He tests cautiously.  
"Affirmative, Master" is the answer that comes from the little mech.  
Salaxorius grimaces and switches around until the black and red face is watching the little mech, "They have not properly instructed it on how it addresses its superiors, I see." He huffs, "I will order Emphisa to add it to the starting setup, but that does not serve me any purpose right now. I order the unit to listen well to my following instructions and commit them to its databanks for as long as today counts."

What the Quintesson meant with 'for as long as today counts', Hextaida doesn't know. But he understands the command to listen and he does so attentively. Salaxorius straightens his dignified and stern posture even more as he lectures; "We, the Quintesson Empire, commit to a very strict and very polite society. The pillars of a well-functioning society are Order, Discipline, Selflessness and Respect. We have a hierarchy and every unit in the population has their function and rank to support the aforementioned population. Those of the Quintesson race are the unit's Masters. It owes its very existence to us. It addresses a Quintesson not merely by the title Master; that will not do. The correct syntax is Master [function] [name] Sir. It addresses Emphisa as Master Creator Emphisa Sir. It is to address me with Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir. Does the unit understand this basic principle?"  
Hextaida's optics flash as its systems process the information it just received, and it answers; "Affirmative, Master."  
Then it blinks, shakes its head and adds, "Correction; Affirmative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir."

Ah, so the prototype is capable of correcting its behavior. That should make Salaxorius happy but in truth it does not. After all, the earlier rebelling products were also capable of correcting their own behavior. Such freedom of action was always tricky and would have to be observed with caution. Salaxorius reminded himself that there was something that could help him with that. The Quintesson looked through the list of command words that he copied from the files he received from Fernicius, and found the words he wanted to use. He cleared his voice and spoke in a clear and concise tone, "Unit D-HEX-23675, I order it to Emote and Amplify."  
Hextaida flashed his optics again as he received the command, "Acknowledged, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir. Personality Core set to translate and amplify simulated emotive reactions to sensory impulses."  
Salaxorius regards the prototype and murmurs; "Did Emphisa and Fernicius bother to install it with a history file of its origins?"  
D-HEX-23675's face lights up with curiosity and it shakes its head, "Negative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir!"  
"Hmm, I see" The Quintesson turns to his papers and ignores the prototype long enough to let that blatant curiosity fade into lingering doubt. He observes the transition from the corner of his eyes. Oh, but he had to admit that the Emote and Amplify command words were certainly useful; Even if it only simulated emotions in reaction to impulses, the device could now be read like an open book by one trained in body language. If only the Empire's suspects and the defendants in court could be this open...

Salaxorius turned back when the doubt faded off into neutrality and the mech's attention began to wander to the room they were in. He had no interest in having the prototype move about his chambers looking at things. "I assume the prototype has seen the Allicon and Sharkticon units around the compound. It is obviously neither. It is, what I would define, a most foolish attempt to salvage a line of products that are related to a collection of malfunctions. Let's not have any illusions about that; there is a high probability that it is faulty, and therefore it will not merit any trust nor endearment from me; I have already calculated the future actions of unit D-HEX-23675 based on its heritage, and they are not pleasing to me." The Quintesson watches how the face only reflects mild confusion, and he questions; "Does that not worry the unit? Does it not care?"  
"N-negative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir. This one /does/ care, Sir; your words sound negative. But this one is not familiar with its origins... It apologizes for... not showing proper care?"  
"Hrmph. And so it should. It is bothersome that it apparently also befalls me to update the unit's database regarding its origins. Those two bumbling fools in their labs should have taken their responsibility and inform their creation of Empire history. But, in retrospect, now I will at least be certain the unit is told whole Truths and nothing of lesser quality. Go to that cabinet and pour me a glass of that purple liquid in the crystalline flask. Bring it over and then listen well, unit."

Hextaida does so, pouring a glass with the purple liquid that fritzes his sensors with its sweet and static aroma. He brings it over to the Quintesson and then takes his respectful distance. Salaxorius nips deftly from the glass, gaze becoming thoughtful as he recalls the history of the Cybertronian products. When he begins to speak, his voice is again clear and concise. He is an inquisitor and his livelihood is lecturing, conversing, and observing. Recalling lore and narrating it is no trouble.

"Our revered ancestors were already very wise. Geniuses of their age. It is already billions of years ago, but their technological ingenuity was unchallenged. In their infinite knowledge and entrepreneurial prowess, they created products that were in high demand with innumerable species. Already then, we held top positions in market industries. Then, one day, the Quintessons of old created two lines of robotic products." Salaxorius taps a key on his desk and the screen behind him lights up with two images of ancient Cybertronians, pre-transformation age. One looks docile and is holding a tray with assorted glasses and bottles. Its face is sculpted. The other robot is adorned with spikes and is carrying a range of different weapons. It lacks sculpted facial features. It stands in a military pose, one hand raised to the side of its head in a salute.  
"These are each one of the two lines. The first one is a consumer product: meant to serve in various functions such as caretaking, hospitality, logistics, teaching and the like. The second one is a warrior type; meant for combat and war. They functioned perfectly for a while. They functioned so well that they were in high demand and that the ancestors dedicated an entire planet to the construction of these products. We call this planet 'Cybertron'."  
Salaxorius taps another key, and the image is switched to a photograph of a large metallic planet crowded with facilities and plants. The photograph was taken from outer space and the numerous lights spread across the world's surface are a mesmerizing sight. Hextaida responds with a slight gasp of awe. "That planet is a /foundry/, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir?"  
"It is, unit, Cybertron's purpose was that of a factory. Now, do not interrupt me again while I am lecturing it." Salaxorius switches the screen to the image of one single mech colored in purple, white and magenta. "The products functioned perfectly, until the consumer mechs became flawed, led astray by one of their own who could not function properly. His designation was A-3. He led a guerilla war against our ancestors, a heinous crime. Blasphemy. Betrayal to the population. Attempts were made to stop his activities but his influence had already spread far and wide, seeping into the systems of the other consumer goods. Eventually, the Creators had no other option but to abandon the planet and all of the products and project left there."  
Salaxorius notices that the prototype seems dejected by that news. The turbines droop and the face looks sad. "Anything to say to that, prototype?"  
Hextaida hesitates, then whispers, "So… because of what….A-3 did… the Masters were no longer able to work on their projects? They couldn't create anymore, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir?"  
Salaxorius nods, "Correct. The defective unit condemned its brethren with its flaws. In fact, it is official knowledge that the military hardware products were not flawed at first, but that they suffered from the lack of guidance that the abandonment of the planet caused. A-3 worked to create what it perceived a 'society', believing itself to be similar to sentient beings. The products began calling themselves 'Cybertronians', and for a while they co-existed in the same harmony that we had taught them."  
Hextaida tilts his head, and can't help but ask, "What happened to them?"  
"Mind your protocols, unit. Address me properly lest I decide to punish the unit for lack of respect." Salaxorius warns. But he answers anyway, "The products that came afterwards forgot about their creators. They are now the lost ones. They have no semblance of heritage and origin. They are undisciplined and unreliable. As such, they have been locked in a few civil wars with one another, wreaking havoc to any place they come across. Their last war is still ongoing and has been enduring for the last billion years. There is a 0.000004 percent chance that they will ever resolve their feud with one another as they are partly trying to follow heritage drives that they cannot recognize anymore and partly trying to believe that they are sentient. This is a combination that cannot resolve itself as it is based on Untruths. They no longer recognize the other line as brethren to one another, and will prefer to fight each other instead of following our initial intention of having them work alongside. They are nothing but a rogue plague, a scourge to the galaxy. The Principles of USVIDA exist primarily because of their unfortunate situation. Tell me, is unit D-HEX-23675 informed of the important principles of USVIDA?"  
Hextaida's face brightens, "Affirmative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir! Well, rather… it only knows the second and fifth principle…" Why didn't he know all the principles if it was so important? Did he forget about it? Hextaida pushes his confusion aside and speaks clearly, because he can show the Master that he knows something! "We must be Strict to be effective. We must show Discipline in form and thought." He recites passionately.

Salaxorius doesn't seem very impressed by the little mech's ability to utterly believe in words that are simply 'in his system'. In fact, the Quintesson grimaces at the lack of completion in the unit's database. "It should know all of them; the principles are law, the basics for being able to function properly. Without following the principles, a unit cannot be reliable." Salaxorius chastises. He switches his faces to let the blue and silver one speak, "We must stand as one and work in Unity. We must be Strict to be effective. Vigilance keeps us safe; be ever watchful for bad behavior. Individuality destroys Integrity. We must show Discipline in form and thought. Adherence to law is the basis of reliability and the first step towards proper functioning. Those are the principles of USVIDA and the first laws that all creations must adhere to. Does the unit understand?"  
"A-affirmative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir."  
"The rogue products evidently failed to function according to the principles, or in a manner similar to it. They do not stand as one and they do not work in Unity. They are not Strict and thus not effective. They favor bad behavior, they see themselves as individuals, they are not disciplined and they have trouble adhering to laws. Unit D-HEX-23675 will come to learn how their failure to exhibit good behavior was their bane, and why it is important for the prototype unit to follow the law closely."  
Hextaida nods, "Acknowledged, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir. This one understands, Sir."  
"Oh, you do not understand at all, prototype. You are absolutely clueless about these rogue products and what my words mean." Salaxorius retorts, voice suddenly turning from clear to venomous and his face switches to the red and black one. Cold eyes narrow at the robot standing in the room, which looks back in surprised shock at the sudden turnaround  
Is… is that malice on the Master's face? Hextaida stares frozen, not moving at all.  
The Quintesson holds their stare for a while, before murmuring, "It shows of a lack of respect to stare at a superior, prototype unit. I order you to lower your gaze to the floor."  
Hextaida pales, and does as he's told. Salaxorius nibs from his drink, and thinks. When he speaks again, he sounds thoughtful and there is a dangerous edge to his tone, "The prototype is created after the same blueprints of the products created on Cybertron. Emphisa and Fernicius selected /military hardware/ blueprints for its designs. This means that it should have no flaws like the consumer goods had. But heed my warning, little one: Do not underestimate me. As you will be aware off I have command of inquisition over the actions of your Creators, and I have no illusions about the nature of the Cybertron product lines. It is my sacred responsibility to uncover every /little/ weakness that may exist in our ranks… every /little/ link that does not work, every /little/ sign of dissension, I will cut such flaws out like a festering sore before they can infect the rest of the population. That there is no decisive evidence that it is tainted at the moment does not mean that it isn't, understood? If I had a say in it then not a drop of steel would've been allotted for your creation. The forge would never have made it. However, the Overseer has decreed it be given room to develop and it is his wisdom that we follow in the end. But the prototype does not exist to be coddled, to be adored, to be shown lenience. It exists to function, and to perform. If I perceive so much as a hint of rebellion, I will have you incinerated. Is my point clear?"  
"A-affirmative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir" Comes the shaky reply of Hextaida, who really isn't quite sure on what he did wrong just now. Why did he get the impression that this Quintesson wasn't happy to have him around?  
Salaxorius sets down his glass and presses a button that had started blinking somewhere during the firm speech. He glares at the little mech in front of him, who still has his gaze averted. "I order D-HEX-23675 to reflect on the principles of USVIDA and remember how adherence to them is essential to its continued existence."  
Hextaida nods, "A-Acknowledged, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir."  
With a curt nod, Salaxorius picks up a set of files and begins to read through them, ignoring Hextaida altogether.

Silence falls in the room. It stays that way for a good fifteen minutes until the door opens. A pair of footsteps are heard, muffled by the Cybrox wool carpet. They approach and halt behind Hextaida, but despite his curiosity the mech doesn't dare to move lest he'd break a rule and incur the promised wrath of the five-faced Quintesson.  
"Macetail, did you collect the resources for the test as I ordered?" Salaxorius suddenly looks up and questions the visitor.  
Now, Hextaida looks up as well and turns around slightly to watch the Sharkticon who had entered the room.  
The Sharkticon nods, "Affirmative, Lord Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir." Hextaida tilts his head, curious about the new unit he's encountering. Of course he has seen these Sharkticons at a distance, but never saw one of them up close or interacted with any of them. Salaxorius probably read his mind since the Quintesson comments, "Macetail is my pet Sharkticon. He is a very loyal unit, something I am sure I cannot say of you, unit D-HEX-23675. He has collected something special for you though, per my instruction. Show the unit what you brought us, Macetail" There is a hint of glee in the voice now, and faces switch around to white and orange.

Macetail nods and steps aside without any grace. Hextaida pauses as he takes in what was standing behind the Sharkticon.

His turbines shoot up in surprise and he synthesizes a high-pitched system-whistle in excitement. Standing there, looking back at him with an exact same set of azure-colored optics, is an almost complete copy of D-HEX-23675!

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[End of chapter: The Lore of Cybertron]  
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	2. Chapter 2 - Brother

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[Chapter: Brother]  
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Salaxorius silently complimented himself for his brilliance. He left his place behind his desk to hover around the group standing in front of it. Macetail, the sharkticon, was ignored. The first small mech was regarded with curiosity for its reaction towards the situation that had been created here. The second small mech… the Quintesson halted behind it, encircling the shape with its tentacles. Salaxorius didn't touch the robot; the crude, inferior mechanism that it is. But the Quintesson does stare at Hextaida, the first small mech, in utter delight. "D-HEX-23675, meet…. D-HEX-23674! I have prepared a few exercises for you to do together today, and I am sure you will perform astonishingly."

The two mechanisms looked at one another. 74 was just a bit cruder and the leg design was different; 75's legs split into four parts when entering its alternate mode but those of 74 remained in two. This meant that the earlier version had more bulk on its backside to accommodate for more parts and was less streamlined. But their silhouette looked mostly the same. Their heads were absolutely identical; they both had optics of the brightest azure color, the same darker band of mesh material that ran across the upper part of their faces, and their helmets had no differences between one another. Even their coloration was the same. The two were watching each other with curious stares.

Salaxorius continued, "Now, I have been informed that D-HEX-23674 is code-named Hextaida Sunam, so when anyone addresses that unit, it will be either with '74', or 'Sunam.' Understood?" He looked down at the mech in question as if realizing something, "Oh, what am I saying… I don't even want you answering me. D-HEX-23675, your codename is Hextaida Mandar, so I expect you to listen to '75' or 'Mandar'. Acknowledge one another and we will be on our way to the testing tracks of the Anesis compound."  
"Affirmative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir." Hextaida Mandar answered as he had been taught.  
"Affirmative, Master" Was the answer Hextaida Sunam gave. Salaxorius looked displeased for just a moment before he dismissed the lack of discipline with a very slight smile. He observed how the two small prototypes finally approached one another. They reached out and pressed their handpalms against each other. In great contrast to the standard situation, they were interacting with a unit of equal size. Hextaida Mandar consulted his database for a moment on how he should speak to this new mech, "This one greets it, Brother D-HEX-23674."  
Hextaida Sunam nodded, and answered, "Acknowledged, Brother D-HEX-23675. This one greets it likewise."  
"Acknowledged, brother Sunam."  
They had never been instructed on how to greet one another. Their databanks didn't hold records on how to greet a similar unit because it was something Emphisa and Fernicius hadn't intended to happen. But they knew how Allicons and Sharkticons greeted each other and had aptly translated that to their situation. Their adaption went completely over the head of the Quintesson observing them.  
Salaxorius gave a sinister smile as the two mechs distanced themselves from each other. "That will do. Order: Follow me." The group left the office of the Master of Inquisition, on their way to the Anesis compound.

[Location: Khalanxis, Aphos wing, lab G-20.17]

After Macetail left with the prototype, the two remaining Quintesson scientists had continued their work in silence. One of them was too worried to talk. The other was too enraged at the breach of protocol forced by one who outranked him but otherwise had no appreciation for the project. Their frustration was almost perceivable in the atmosphere.  
Suddenly, Emphisa shoved a piece of metal off the workbench he was working at. It went flying through the room and crashed into one of the tanks holding a component in suspension. The glass was reinforced so it didn't crack but the component inside convulsed in response. A monitor hooked up to the glass cylinder showed how the electric field of the device quickened in alarm. With a sigh, Emphisa hovered over and traced the point of impact with a tentacle. He focused, forcing himself to calm so his presence could manipulate the field to calm down as well. For years, every fragment of lifeforce that had developed itself in the Aphos wing had been his cultivation. He had searched out the appropriate sources and developed precise methods to split off ethereal elements. He spliced and grafted and fused electro-elemental traces into machines. He of course couldn't perceive these traces but he had gained the ability to predict how his actions influenced the polarities around him.

With Emphisa's calming presence, the fragment settled into a satisfied state of rest. "Brother Fernicius." The Quintesson called out, making a mental note that the symbiotic fluid in the tank was nearly due for replacement.  
Fernicius looked up from his work at the monitor setup, momentarily detaching his mind from the code control system he was manipulating. Neuro-bridge connections were a boon for productivity: one simply attached their minds to the system and programmed directly. "Yes, Honorable Emphisa?" He had noticed the outburst, but had decided to ignore it.  
It seemed the wisest thing to do right now considering they were both worried.  
"How long have we been working on this project?" Emphisa asked him the rhetorical question.  
"Years, my brother." Fernicius didn't need to think long about that. "You called me to your office to discuss an inspiration. I supported your vision. I still do." He hovered over to the tank as well, "Our first prototypes weren't even interactive at all since we focused on getting the foundation right."  
Emphisa nodded, "Do you think we have succeeded in that?"  
Fernicius switched his heads, a more speculative face focusing on his boss, "For the progress we have made thus far, I affirm it. It is of course too early to say on whether we have achieved all of our goals. The testing is not complete yet. We… have no decisive evidence."  
"That is correct." Emphisa agreed, seemingly satisfied and put at ease by the answers of his science partner. He looked around the room, the brief hesitations that plagued him disappearing as he reminded himself, "we have employed the tightest of security protocols, and we have always kept the greater good of the Quintesson Empire in mind. It gives me great satisfaction to know that the Aphos department has always pursued science with great discipline."

Fernicius nodded in agreement, thought for a moment and spoke, "What about Salaxorius's order, Sir? And the Master Inquisitor's freedom to observe this project? We have worked to construct a solid foundation for the prototypes, but I worry that the Inquisitor might find some aspects objectionable." Now he was treading thin ice, his own worries bubbling under the surface to remind him of their situation. But they had to discuss this.  
Emphisa let out a displeased hiss. He, too, was worried. It wasn't just the fact that the Overseer had given Salaxorius so much power over the project, but it was the tentative string of politics and the intricate web of diplomatic interactions that came with it. Salaxorius /hated/ Cybertronians. His fury for their existence was intense, and while some would be consumed by such hate the Master of Inquisition had taken command over it and used it to become one of Quintessa's finest inquisitors. His fury made him as sharp and cunning as a Folmoxian blade, and even his brethren feared him. He was a fantastic enforcer of the Empire, but he made certain areas of science difficult.  
And he made certain topics downright inaccessible.

"The Master of Inquisition may inquire as he pleases. We will accommodate as the Overseer expects us to." Emphisa answered, "We serve the Empire, Fernicius, you know that. It just so happens that our servitude forces us to work in an area Salaxorius cannot evaluate objectively due to his opinion of the modern-day occupants of Cybertron. Therefore we exercise caution with disclosing information due to their sensitive topics… but we are not breaking any laws; we /have/ used the blueprints of ancient military hardware like we said."  
Fernicius chuckled in amusement and gave Emphisa a knowing look. "Your ingenuity is, as always, an inspiration, Brother."  
The door to the lab beeped and opened, effectively disrupting their conversation. Emphisa and Fernicius both turned their heads to see who entered the lab. It was Cindermaw.  
… It was only Cindermaw.  
"Allicon, I express my hope that you somehow managed to magically lose a prototype on your way back here and that we do not have to retrieve it from the halls of Justice." Fernicius deadpanned.  
Emphisa glared.

[Location: Khalanxis, Anesis compound, testing track nr. 4]

The room was relatively large and rectangle shaped. Big, wide panels that appeared relatively soft lined the walls, their chamfered edges separated with bluish light. There was one automatic sliding door in the room, made from reinforced steel and with a small bulletproof window holding frosted glass. It was marked with the text [Anesis – 04], but from the inside the text was read from the backside and was thus mirrored. A small light was set into the wall above the door, but it was not lit. The room was not silent; there was a constant monotone buzz of electric particles that hummed in the air, alternated by the harmonics of underlying systems standing by. The room was pristine, like the rest of Khalanxis. The diffuse light made it look soft and calming.

Suddenly, the normal overhead lights stuttered and faded. The blue light strips intensified, visualizing hexagon patterns. An electrical field washed over the room, changing its appearance and forming a pristine staircase leading up to a door. After the room was done with its visualizations, the light above the entry door came on and the door itself slid open. The prototype unit known as D-HEX-23674, Hextaida Sunam, walked into the room. It was followed by Hextaida Mandar. The two micromaster-sized transformers paused, looking around this new place with curious faces. A screen suddenly visualized in front of them, broadcasting the appearance of Salaxorius. The Quintesson looked at them with expectation. "Welcome, both of you. This is one of the Anesis equipment testing tracks, which we will borrow for a few exercises. This room is a 'hard light simulation chamber', meaning that it can simulate geometry and physics of any specification. Everything appearing in the room will be reality, remember that. When entering an exercise, this screen will provide you with your objective. I will not be guiding you; this is something you will do together. I do expect you to manage that much. Now, Sunam, you precede Mandar, so you will be the superior unit and will have command during these exercises. Mandar, you must follow Sunam's directions. Get to it."  
Without awaiting their reply, Salaxorius disappeared and the screen switches to an objective screen. Both mechs inch forward to read what it says.  
"Reach the door." Sunam whispers, looking at the stairway filling up the entire room, and the door at the top of it, "Oh, that's simple!"  
"Is it?" Mandar tilts its head, also looking at the stairway. It was still interpreting the concept of a room that manags to fabricate tangible structures and natural forces; It seemed quite unfathomable.  
"Yes, of course it is! This unit has done this before, just follow me!" Sunam ordered, grabbed one of the other mech's hands and led him back towards the door through which they first entered. He demonstratively placed a hand on the structure and gave the other prototype a bright smile, "See? We reached the door!"  
"…" D-HEX-23675 tilted his head. Actually… D-HEX-23674's logic wasn't wrong: the objective didn't specify which door they had to reach.  
"Incorrect!" the voice of Salaxorius suddenly echoed through the room, accompanied by an electric shock going through the door. Since Sunam was touching it and holding Mandar's hand, the jolt went through the both of them. Both cried out in surprise and pain, letting go of each other and stumbling away from the door.  
"7-74!" Hextaida Mandar cried out indignantly, glaring at its counterpart while cradling his singed hand. The sensors were numb from the surge that had passed through them.  
"Eek! My apologies, 75! This one thinks it made a mistake!" D-HEX-23674 rubbed his neck sheepishly and gave Mandar a stupid grin, "The objective probably didn't mean this door after all…"  
"…" Mandar frowns, "Didn't it say it did this before, Brother?"  
Sunam gave an apologetic shrug before approaching the staircase. Mandar followed, frown deepening.

They made it halfway, finding each step to become higher than the previous one. Eventually, they had to mantle to make it up. Not before long, they were staring up at a wall. The two mechs blinked, scurrying along the step to see if there was a spot that was lower. There was none. After a moment, Sunam growled in annoyance, crossed his arms and gave Mandar an indignant scowling glance. "D-HEX-23675, find a way to go up." He ordered and nodded towards the wall.  
Mandar looked back at him, tilting his head, "Why won't you help me, brother?" He questioned.  
"Because I'm in charge, that's why. I'm the superior unit, and I'm telling you to find a way up."  
There was a moment of silence as Mandar thought about that, before replying with a hesitating, "Yes Sir."  
The more recent prototype scurried along the step a bit more, looking up and down. He passed Sunam a few times, who had resorted to leaning against the wall, arms still crossed. Eventually, Mandar halted in front of Sunam, face not betraying what he thought. "Brother D-HEX-23674, this one believes to have found an appropriate solution to our problem."  
"Took you long enough, Brother D-HEX-23675. What is the solution?" Sunam uncrossed his arms.  
Mandar spread his legs to a solid stance, and cupped his hands in front of him, interlocking his fingers and having the palms face upwards, "It is this, Brother D-HEX-23674."  
Sunam frowned, "It is- that makes no sense! What does /this/ have to do with getting up to the next step?" He mimics the stance, frowning in dismay.  
Mandar quickly leapt towards Sunam. He landed one foot in the other mech's open hands, exerting enough force to launch himself upwards. Within moments, he was standing on the next step, looking down upon a baffled D-HEX-23674, "Didn't you say you did this exercise before?"  
"What- Hey!" Hextaida Sunam stared, mouth agape. Hextaida Mandar reached down with a hand, waving it around to indicate that the other mech should grab it so he could be pulled up. Once also on the next ledge, Mandar was given a sullen look, "You should've warned me, Brother D-HEX-23675…"  
"…" D-HEX-23675 shrugged, "You told me you did this exercise before, Brother D-HEX-23674."

Using the technique and improving it to give better boosts to one another, the two made it all the way to the top of the staircase. When they reached the door a speaker crackled to live and Salaxorius commented, "Well enough. Keep in mind that I do not appreciate any more trickery like before. Do not reinterpret the goals of an exercise without my permission. Failure to comply will be seen as defiance and will result in your termination."  
The door swung open, and the two mechs stepped into the next room...

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[End of chapter: Brother]  
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	3. Chapter 3 - The four horses

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[Chapter: The four horses]

[Location: Khalanxis, Anesis compound, testing track nr. 4 – Observatory & Exercise chamber]

Salaxorius hastily scribbled down a few notes on his datapad. They were mere points of interest that stood out as the two prototypes down in the hard light simulation chamber interacted with one another. For instance, Sunam's inclination to abuse the power he had been given wasn't overly dominant, but it was present; For a unit 'bred for unity and loyalty' it ordered its brother around to do the work for them with relative ease. In any other army, one might be tempted to promote such a unit to the rank of squad leader. But Salaxorius knew that corruption lay dormant within those who take command with ease.  
Mandar on the other hand was docile, accepting the parameters that the Quintesson had set for them. He was meek and obedient. A positive trait. Especially when having displayed a cunning ability to solve the problem they were faced with. Salaxorius was not a scientist, but the behaviors of the two in the room were nonetheless interesting to him.

The two mechanisms proceeded through the door upon which the simulation room shifted seamlessly into the second part of the exercise. The difference between the first room and the second one was very large; they were incomparable. In truth, the first chamber was only meant to prepare the mechanisms for the act of co-operation. To have them acknowledge each other as a tangible presence they could utilize for the challenges they would face.  
The two were now standing inside a round room, filled with 5 doors; one leading back to the staircase, and four leading onwards. Salaxorius rechecked the parameters he gave to the chamber, and found them impeccable. The door leading back locked and disappeared, leaving the two mechs with just the remaining four. Each door had two levers that needed to be pulled down to open it, one of each side. There was a statue of a Cybertronian in front of each door. They were life-sized, towering over the two prototypes who only reached half of a statues' shin. The screen with the objective materialized in the room, and the Quintesson could read it as well on the monitor in the observatory. Several feeds were showing different angles of the room, and two were continuously locked on the faces of Hextaida Mandar and Hextaida Sunam.  
The objective monitor synthesized a rhyme:

_The houses have four horses,_  
_Four horses tall and strong._  
_They plow their fields and sow their seeds,_  
_Three of them are broken, but one of them is wrong._

_The horse in front is white and gray,_  
_It leads its soldiers to the fray._  
_Dreams of a kingdom, his to last,_  
_But pays no tribute to the past._

_The second horse with purple shine,_  
_stays far from the battle's front line._  
_He guard the foundry, for years to turn,_  
_And waits faithfully for his faction leader to return._

_The third in line is a horse of age,_  
_Has seen worlds in many a stage._  
_He shares the tales with all his kin,_  
_But knows not of his ancestor's sin._

_The last in line is the first of all,_  
_Its words and its actions made the factory fall._  
_Wracked by emotions, and clouded in mind_  
_For his delusions his kin was to be left behind._

"What must we do?" Mandar questioned, tilting its head curiously.  
"Don't be ridiculous, brother D-Hex-23675…" Sunam mumbled, "We must pick a door."  
"…" Mandar looked around, "But only one of them is right?"  
Sunam's answer had a short delay as if the mech was deciding on something, which perked Salaxorius's interest; "…affirmative, brother."  
Mandar nodded and the Quintesson watched how the monitors showed his face to be thoughtful. It approached the statues, finding the nametags at the base of the structures. At the grey and white mech, it named, "Megatron. Leader of the Decepticons…"  
The gray and purple statue was identified as "Shockwave, Decepticon Steward of Cybertron"  
The third statue was known as "Kup, Cybertron's Chief of Security"  
When Mandar reached the last statue, it didn't call out the name. Instead it looked up, expression mixed between fear and curiosity. Sunam stepped up as well, looking at the nametag, "Alpha Trion, known as A-3. Huh" He looked up for a second before getting back to the objective screen, obviously not as interested in the name as Mandar was. Salaxorius knew that D-HEX-23674 had been informed of the history of Cybertron. It said so in his file. The utter lack of interest was… curious.

The Quintessons had observed Cybertron ever since the rebellion. Of course, Salaxorius felt that there was no good to be begotten by continued involvement with the lost factory planet, but the higher council of Overseers thought otherwise. This led to a vast database logging the movements and developments of the 'Cybertronians', such as they call themselves. At the moment history could not be undone so the Master of Inquisition might just as well use history to conduct his integrity tests. This led him to the current setup which was an easy enough task to perform; Simply open the correct door. However, the prototypes would have to be able to deduce which door was the correct one. Salaxorius knew that up till now, neither one of them had seen a rebel unit in full scale (except for an image). They had also received minimum amount of lore, and none of that was primed to help solve an issue like this. This was purely a matter of deduction and evaluation. Salaxorius watched how the two prototypes approached the screen and read the rhyme out loud before looking at the four statues and their doors.

"It's Shockwave." Sunam suddenly concluded.  
"Why?" Mandar frowned and looked back towards his brother, "Isn't Alpha-"  
"Shockwave controls Cybertron, right? He takes care of the planet? Then he is wrong! Shouldn't he be surrendering the planet back to the Masters? He can do that, easily."  
"What makes you say he can?"  
"He can! Believe me, brother; A steward takes care of property, so if he's the steward of Cybertron, then he controls the planet, and thus seeing as how he doesn't give it back to the rightful owners, he is wrong! Because he doesn't do what is best for everyone!"  
"But what about Alpha Trion's betrayal?"  
"What about it?"  
Mandar stared at Sunam in shock, "What- you don't know? Did you not get the Talk?" That was a pretty clear bit of explanation that Master Inquisitor Salaxorius had given him a few hours ago, "Alpha Trion is the one who betrayed the Masters and who caused the rebellion!"  
"That was ages ago! Alpha Trion is dead already!"  
"It is?"  
"Yes! I'm telling you, Shockwave is the unit that is wrong!" Sunam repeated once more. Salaxorius noticed how a harsh expression set down upon the young face, and listened as the little mech again pushed his power.  
"Mandar, I order you to come and help me open this door!" With that, Sunam made his way over to the door behind the statue of Shockwave, being followed by a wavering Mandar who still looked a bit questioning.  
Sunam grabbed the left lever firmly, and looked over his shoulder towards his counterpart, "Get the other lever, Mandar!"  
"eh… Yes, Sir" Hextaida Mandar gave in and took hold of the other lever. From his observatory, Salaxorius couldn't help but switch to his face of white and orange, the gleeful grin widening.  
"W-wait… are you /sure/? Hextaida Sunam?" Oh… it seems Mandar was still questioning the order. In a way, that was a good thing; its deductions probably weren't matching with the action they were about to perform. On the other hand… disobeying orders was a bad trait.  
Salaxorius reached for the comlink, "Prototypes, be advised that failure to successfully complete the tasks given to you and the exhibition of deviant behavior will have repercussions; If you fail I will have both your brain modules on a silver grav-disk and your bodies turned into Sharkticon teacups."  
This made the mechs pause their movements as they interpreted their fate. Mandar wavered, clearly overcome by caution at this reminder. Its hands left the handle and the mechanism set back off to the front of the-  
Sunam growled lowly as he intercepted his brother, catching it by an arm and yanking it back to glare at the other set of azure optics, "I did /not/ give you permission to leave your place!".  
"B-but…"  
"But nothing!" Sunam's sudden bout of dominance clearly originated from the retreat that Mandar was initiating, "Obey me, now!"  
With a slight confused squeak Mandar went back to his handle, staying there as Sunam walked over to the other one and glared at his brother, "One, two… pull!"  
Both pulled down their handles simultaneously. The door… did not open. Both mechs watched for a second before the realization sank in.  
"Unfortunately, Hextaida Sunam, you were not correct in your command." Salaxorius confirmed what they feared.  
"S-Sir!" Sunam whipped around quickly, optics wide in shock as he tried to face the disembodied voice, "I apologize, I made an- Aaargh!"  
The shockwave that hit the room was one attuned to the capacity of its occupants to take punishment. Both systems redlighted, but the voltage was not enough to short circuit them. It just left them sizzled, shuddering and crying out at the pain they were subjected to.

Salaxorius continued his explanation once the two seemingly recovered from the result of their mistake. His voice was formal and uncaring for the fact that the Quintesson just raced a few volts through the two mechs; "Shockwave is a Decepticon. We will discuss their flaws later. However, the correct conclusion that you should've come to is the basics of the history we discussed: A-3, Alpha Trion, is the specimen that is wrong. Now, you must work to understand that A-3 is a very insidious and deviant mechanism who is capable of corrupting every other mechanism it comes in contact with. It is like a virus, which is why we have to be extra strict in guiding you towards proper wisdom; in the contrary to what Sunam believes to be Truth, A-3 is still very much activated. We simply do not want to see your qualities destroyed, it would be a waste. Have you observed the sigils that are present on the statues?"

"Y-Yes, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir" Sunam coughed out. Mandar fearfully shook his head, "M-my apologies, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir, this one did not…"  
"They are these, unit Hextaida Mandar;" Two holograms flickered to life: Two sigils. "The purple one is the sigil that the military hardware brandishes, and the red one is that of the consumer products. You will notice that two statues carry the purple sigil and two the red one. They roughly stand for the ideals that these groups favor. The purple sigil is not very important for now, but the red one definitely is: A-3 is the one who made it into a symbol of his rebellion. It is the symbol with which it started its corruption of its brethren; it is the embodiment of all that is flawed. Therefore, it serves to us as a sign of weakness, to recognize those who sympathize with the things that A-3 has done.."

Mandar thought about this, looking at Sunam and the statues that indeed held the sigils accordingly. Apparantly, Sunam had seen them but hadn't known their meaning. If they had known then they could've crossed off two of the four options before even trying a door. Still, one thing was on his mind and he stepped forward with care, "So the red symbol stands for the bad things? Does the purple symbol stand for the good things, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir?"  
"Negative, unit. Those who wear the purple symbol are malfunctioning units as well; They have spent too much time away from the guidance of us, the Creators, and have lost their way just as much as those who wear the red symbol. They are in fact more dangerous that A-3's followers; they are adept war machines as we created them as such, and the promise of battle is what drives them endlessly. They are organized, but also chaotic; a result of being separated from us before getting refined. Now, thanks to Alpha Trion, they are fated to suffer an ultra-violent nature. We consider them a liability, but they carry no blame for the rebellion."  
Mandar nodded understandingly, as did Sunam.  
Salaxorius was satisfied at the speed with which the two mechs picked up the new material, "But so far for this topic today, let us focus more on your collaboration in the next exercise."

Obediently, the two prototypes prepared to enter the next room as Salaxorius opened the door behind Alpha Trion's statue.

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[End of chapter: The four horses.]

_Note:_  
_I've been very busy doing some projects these last weeks. That sometimes happens, and is the reason for why there is no regular schedule of updates for these chapters. Next chapter has almost been written as well though, so next update should happen relatively soon. That will be the final chapter to this story._


	4. Chapter 4 - Live or Die

_Please note that the rating for this story has shifted upwards._

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[Chapter: Live or die]

[Location: Khalanxis, Anesis compound, testing track nr. 4 – Hard Light Simulation Chamber]

The room had gotten more complex again, Hextaida Mandar thought to himself. He and his brother unit Hextaida Sunam had crossed several rooms now, all different from one another except for a few common grounds. His processor, young and inexperienced but lightning fast and quick to perceive, had been following the specifics of the rooms and the actions they had done within them. There were definitely some common themes.  
Each room required them to think and apply principles that there were taught to them. For instance, the room with the statues forced them to evaluate the actions of complete strangers to the both of them, but those strangers were apparently pivotal in the world around the Foundry Cybertron.  
The room after that required them to sort out the correct path to the other side applying the coordinates of Quintessa's Towers in order of importance.  
The room that came next was solved by learning the Sovernus II Segmentation of Quintesson Basic Law and applying it instantaneously.  
Those rooms, they were quite easy to understand and apply. They were safe.  
This one? Not. At. All. The first step forward had been a curious one to take in the room: a wide space filled with all kinds of small structures of thick defensive steel reaching no higher than their waists and two rooms in opposing corners. And now they were lying on the floor, backs against these protective shields and outcroppings while they cowered against the turret swinging around in the center of the room.  
A turret. A real turret that shot lasers at moving targets. Like the two prototypes it had detected.  
They had never seen a turret before. They had never even heard of the notion of ranged weaponry in their short lives. They wouldn't be able to say what a gun was, nor describe its function. Allicons and Sharkticons didn't even carry anything resembling a gun or rifle: they carried polearms.  
Fortunately, the turret was programmed to fire one warning shot.  
The two prototypes, built from the blueprints of military hardware, fled for cover immediately when it hit the ground. Like the reflexes they didn't know they had told them to. D-HEX-23675 spared a glance towards his brother, D-HEX-23674, who had crawled up against another shield wall. He could see by the way the body was poised and those optic were widened that his brother was caught up in the same fit of near-panic that he was in.

"Sunam!" He called out, "Sunam! Listen to me!" At first, the other mech hadn't responded, but by the second shout azure optics focused on him. "W-we have to shut it down! I-I think!"  
"You think? You think? That thing melted the floor! It wants to melt /us/!" Was the answer that Sunam bit back, panic latching on to dismay and fury, "How do you possible hope to shut it down? We can't do that!"  
With just the simple presence of something that could destroy them, the turret managed to force them to forgo their language pattern. Hextaida Mandar frowned at this. It didn't feel right to be caught in disarray so easily. He couldn't actually calm himself but managed to glance around the part of the room that was visible to him anyways.

"Prototypes, I expect you to work together and adhere to the principles of USVIDA. Failure to do so will prove you ineffective and will necessitate your disassembly." Comes the voice of Salaxorius through one of the speakers.  
Sunam and Mandar glance at each other. "I don't want to be disassembled…" Sunam whispers.  
Mandar's optics narrow in a slight glare, "Then function better!"  
"But I'm the best there is!"  
"No, no you aren't." Mandar retorts, but doesn't explain why. Something in his mind clicks, figures things out. It happens automatically; the figuring out of things, translating finds to new tactics and the improvement of performance. Sunam wasn't the /best/. Mandar realized that bit. He was D-HEX-23675; Sunam was D-HEX-23674. Why did Salaxorius only introduce him to his brother unit right before commencing these tests? Why had neither Master Creator Emphisa nor Master Creator Fernicius introduced him to their other creation? Because numbers are mark time and order of build. And higher numbers aren't always the same as lower numbers. Hextaida Mandar wasn't just another build, he was /different/. His body, evidenced by these exercises, performed /better/.  
He was better. He followed the rules better. But he couldn't figure out what it was supposed to mean.  
Unit D-HEX-23675 examined what he could see from his shelter. The auxiliary room he could see read 'Control Breaker #2'. His optics narrowed in thought, "Brother Sunam! Do you see the room on your side? Does it say 'control breaker #1?!"  
D-HEX-23674 glances sideways, cowering under the sound of the turret rotating in its socket in its search for targets. "A-Affirmative, Brother Mandar!"

Two control breakers.  
Two mech units.  
"H-hey! Where are you going?! Mandar!" Sunam yelped as the other unit suddenly crouched up from his shelter and bolted for the second breaker room. The turret, sensing the movement, swung back around to focus itself on the prospective target. Sunam made to stand in its concern, causing a delay in the gun's targeting systems. The prototype didn't do anything else, regretting the bold and dangerous move on his part as it quickly sought cover, but the delay it caused was enough for the other mech to successfully seek cover within the control breaker room.  
Hextaida Mandar turned around to face Hextaida Sunam. "D-HEX-23674, get to the other room!" He called.  
Sunam blinked before biting back, "I-I'm superior! You're not supposed to give orders to me!"  
"It's co-operation! Go to the room and turn off the other part of the gun system!" was the reply that was yelled across.  
Sunam scowled, but did as he was told. When Mandar provoked the attention of the turret, he dashed from cover. Quite quickly the hail of gunfire scorched the ground near his feet, but Sunam managed to crash into the first breaker room, fans ventilating heavily. Slowly, the mech regained its composure, approaching the dashboard to look for the off switch.

On the other side of the field, Mandar started his search as well. The console that it found wasn't overly intricate, but he was curious and afraid that assumptions would end in him making a mistake. But no, there was only one lever, and it clearly read on and off as its states. There was little room for interpretation. He grasped the switch and pulled it to the 'off' setting.  
"2nd turret breaker deactivated" A monotone announcer voice boomed through the room, followed by the sound of the turret whining down and retreating into its storage casing. With a wide grin Mandar appeared at the doorway, watching D-HEX-23674 appear at the doorway of the other control room.  
"The device has been deactivated! The room is safe now!" D-HEX-23674 nodded avidly, smiling brightly at D-HEX-23675. Hextaida Mandar returned the smile, "Affirmative, well done, brother!"  
Now that the turret was de-activated, the two could see how it had been defending the door leading to the next room.  
"We did it, Sunam! Let's go!" Mandar grinned and set off towards the door. He was almost in front of it before he realized that Sunam hadn't followed him. He turned around, finding the other mech watching him with a cautious but curious gaze, enjoying the protective shelter of the 1st control room.  
That was odd.  
"Sunam, why aren't you-" His voice trailed away as a terrifyingly familiar sound suddenly came into existence from the center of the room. Hextaida Mandar felt how his emotional core surged with panic upon watching the turret beginning to come back up from its pillbox casing. Immediately he gasped and ducked behind a protective shield as the spot he occupied just seconds before got riddled with laserfire.

From his shelter, arms wrapped around his helmet and legs hunched up against his chest, Mandar thought over what might've been the cause of the sudden reactivation. It didn't make any sense!  
The system had confirmed that breaker control #2 had been deactivated.  
Wait… Had it said the same about #1?  
A chilling cold feeling sparked at the center of his emotional core, his acute memory banks searching for the audio-file logged in his system. They did not find it.  
It did not exist. And that wasn't because he hadn't been paying attention or anything; no such confirmation had been given at the time. They clearly heard the 2nd breaker control deactivating. Mandar had not heard the same from the other side of the room.  
"W-wha..! 74! Why did you tell me that it was safe?" He yelled out to the air.  
"It /was/ safe!" was the reply that came back.  
"It was not! You didn't de-activate the system!"  
"I didn't know how to!"  
"And you still said it was deactivated?! Why do you….. lie…. You lied to me!"  
"I did not!"  
"Yes you did!"  
"Did not!"  
"Yes you- You're lying right now!"  
"I am not lying to you!"  
"You are! You-You've been telling me lies in every room that we passed since! What is /wrong/ with you!?" Hextaida blanched in agony, staring in the direction of his predecessor. He of course couldn't see it due to the protective walls being in the way and the continuous threat of the turret but he roughly imagined seeing the other unit in that direction, "Why do you lie- Do I lie?"  
"Of course you lie! We all lie, it's perfectly normal to lie! … But I didn't lie to you!"

Salaxorius was smiling cruelly as the two mechs in the room below yelled at each other. The logs were clear that unit D-HEX-23674 could not speak truths. It was a compulsive liar, which had been the reason why it had been put out of commission. Unit D-HEX-23675 on the other hand was made inclined not to lie to his brethren and masters. Putting the two together was a viable recipe for disaster. It was note-worthy that Mandar had taken so long to realize that ever since Sunam had said that it had done these tests before, there had been slip-ups and false words being spoken. Of course, the concept of lying is strange to evaluate if one had never encountered a lie before. So the newer prototype deserved a little bit of respect for having been able to declare the behavior as strange in the first place.

Suddenly, Mandar halted, looking around the room. "Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir! This one doesn't want to continue testing with Sunam anymore!"  
A screen appeared, showing Salaxorius' puzzled face. The emotion didn't fit entirely. It didn't look /genuine/. "Oh? And why not? It is your brother, is something wrong?"  
Mandar rose as the simulation paused and pointed brusquely towards Sunam, "That unit is lying, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir! All the time! I can't trust him, Sir!"  
"And why is that wrong? I am afraid I do not see what you mean, unit D-HEX-23675."  
Mandar blinks, wondering about how to convey why it is wrong that Sunam is lying to him. "it puts me in danger, telling me that the turret is offline while it is not! It-" Something that Salaxorius had said resounded in his mind. /'adhere to the principles of USVIDA./'  
O-of course. "This one…. This one believes that its brother, unit D-HEX-23674, is not following the principles of USVIDA, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir!"  
There was a moment of silence before the room shuddered and the holographic simulations were dismissed. The room returned to its normal rectangle shape with the large white tiles and blue light-strips. The overhead lights came on. The screen disappeared.

After a while the remaining door opened and Salaxorius hovered in, followed by Macetail. The Quintesson moved towards the two prototype units who had not spoken to each other since the room returned to normal.  
"Which principles is unit D-HEX-23674 not following?" Salaxorius inquired curiously, straight to the point.  
"Mandar?" Sunam spoke softly, questioning. There was worry in his voice. D-HEX-23675 ignored him. "We must speak the Truth, right? Speaking Truth is good behavior! Therefore, speaking Untruths is bad behavior, and D-HEX-23764 has spoken Untruths multiple times during the exercises!"  
Salaxorius shakes his head in thought, "And that is wrong…. Why?"  
D-HEX-23675 blinks, thrown aback by the Quintesson asking why speaking Untruths was wrong. Was this a test? "B-because… Vigilance keeps us safe… we must be ever watchful for bad behavior. That is the third principle, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir!"  
"Ah, and /now/ I have proper reason to believe you actually learned something today, unit D-HEX-23675. Well perceived." Salaxorius nodded, looking pleased. "Of course, you have been prepped on the importance of good behavior prior to this event, but still… you are correct. Sunam has not been looking out for you. It did not stand as one, and was not united with you. Shall we proceed to punish it for its flaws, then?" Salaxorius questions Hextaida Mandar, nodding towards Macetail. At the mentioning of punishment and the accompanying nod, the Sharkticon sinks back into beast mode, the brutal grinder in the maw spinning a bit in anticipation. The bulbous eyes shift from the Quintesson to the prototypes in a never-ending hunger.

Hextaida freezes, optics glancing at Sunam who was standing around sadly. The other mech looked back at him in silence, shoulders drooped in embarrassment.  
Wait, yes, Sunam had performed bad behavior. He hadn't followed the principles. And yes, he had brought harm upon Hextaida Mandar up to the point where he had asked the exercises to be stopped. Sunam should receive punishment…  
But this? Killing it?  
"…." Hextaida blinked, "W-would Macetail kill it, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir?"  
"Kill? Oh, /killing/ is a word we use for living, sentient beings, unit D-HEX-23675. We do not use such a word for creations and machines. The accurate word is 'destroy', and yes, the Sharkticon would destroy unit D-HEX-23674. Do not worry about that." Salaxorius ensured, watching the prototypes closely.  
"Understood, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir." Hextaida didn't nod, aware that a wrong nod might very well mean the end of his brother.  
He slowly, hesitatingly, shook his head, "P-perhaps Sunam can learn, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir? This one wasn't badly hurt… honest! It understands that the rules must be followed but was this Sunam's first fault? If it was its first fault then perhaps we can just-"  
Salaxorius interrupted him with the very thing that was plaguing Mandar's mind; "Sunam, what are the principles?"  
Mandar cringed as Sunam blinked then began to recite the principles /perfectly/. D-HEX-23675 felt himself immensely confused by its predecessor's ability to recite the principles they were being taught flawlessly, yet screw them up with its behavior.  
"…" Hextaida Mandar couldn't speak. Sunam told Untruths and could not stop. On top of that it /knew/ the rules. But its behavior was flawed. Its behavior was Bad.  
Which meant that there probably wasn't any way to save it from the jaws of Macetail. Mandar's own predictions and calculations told him that much. It kept very still as its systems suddenly grasped the situation that it was in; This was but another test. And it was meant for only one of the two small mechs. Salaxorius was testing /him/.

Suddenly, the answer seemed so simple.  
And something in his mind settled on the strangely comforting notion that nothing in his world would probably be not simple.

"Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir?" Hextaida Mandar called out, its young voice calm as it brought the attention of the Master of Inquisition upon him.  
"Yes, unit D-HEX-23675?"  
"This one perceives its brother to not have shown discipline in form and thought and to have voiced Untruths which is Bad behavior. It acted like the rogue units you told this one about, Sir." The little mech summarized.  
"And we must punish it for that, correct?" Salaxorius suggested, smiling cruelly.  
D-HEX-23675 ignored D-HEX-23674's frightened look and wordless plea as he looked up at the Quintesson. He bowed his head politely, "Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir… Both unit D-HEX-23674 and this one were created by Master Creator Emphisa and Master Creator Fernicius. We are creations. Creations cannot judge the work of Masters. We must rely on your wisdom to dictate proper punishment, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir."

Salaxorius looked at Hextaida Mandar for a moment, face betraying nothing. The cruel smile had suddenly faded away, and the Quintesson was studying him very closely to see if he was genuine in his submission.  
Hextaida Mandar was very genuine. It really wasn't his place to judge the creations of its Masters. The principles spoke of ones' own code of conduct and how the population should behave, but it did not speak of passing judgment.  
It was the task of the Masters to observe the population and to make decisions like this. "The Masters keep the population safe." D-HEX-23675 voiced, the thought forming itself from the core of its systems. It was an ingrained bit of knowledge that sparked a feeling of intense security and trust. He did not know where it came from, but had a feeling that it had always been there.*

Salaxorius nodded, "And such is our task. I must admit that your ability to learn satisfies me, unit D-HEX-23675. Your obedience and understanding of the hierarchy is… commendable." Salaxorius hadn't expected the unit to do this, to be honest. It was the only correct answer of course, but the Quintesson was /sure/ that the prototype would either cry out for its brother's slaughter, or try to save it. But it didn't. It had not overstepped its boundaries.  
The Quintesson narrows his eyes in thought. Then he turns to Macetail, face turning to the black and green one, "Macetail, I confirm that the prototype unit D-HEX-23674 has moved in ways that do not align with the principles that we teach here; I hereby declare it defective. Execute it."  
Macetail's answer to this order was a savage snarl; The piranha-esque beast lunged at Hextaida Sunam instantly, grinders revving to life. The speaking of the words by the black and green face was a code; Macetail's reaction was a pure Pavlovian response. This meant that by the time Sunam realized what Salaxorius had decreed, the large executioner had already bitten down on a shoulder pauldron to start his feeding frenzy. Sunam shrieked in terror and anguish.

Salaxorius turned his heads so that the blue and silver one faced Hextaida Mandar and continued his questioning like the beginning slaughter was an everyday occurrence, "Now then, what does the unit feel watching the Sharkticon devour a similar product so easily?"  
Hextaida Mandar, the carnage in front of him reflected in his optics, made a small note of his own excruciating perceptiveness and eye for detail. Even if he wouldn't be paying attention, his systems would still perceive the world around him. Azure optics observe the sloppy dripping of fuel from Macetail's maw, the grinding and ripping of metal. But his core… doesn't react at all.  
"This one feels nothing, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir."  
Salaxorius narrows his eyes at the answer, "Why not? It is a unit like you; it is your brother. Do you not feel compassion? An urge to protect it, to prevent its destruction? No reaction at all?" He sounds rather displeased.  
There is one last horrible, decisive grinding noise as Macetail finishes his swift execution. The jaws open and smack shut one last time, splashing precious energon and oil everywhere. Hextaida Mandar watches it before turning to face Salaxorius. "Negative, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir. You ordered the execution of unit D-HEX-23674, Sir. It was done as you decreed, to keep the population safe." There is a moment's pause before unit D-HEX-23675 retreats into a commandment that is, in his mind, linked to the harsh culling of defective units, "We must be Strict to be Effective, Sir."  
Macetail, having transformed back into his robot mode after completing his order, nods in agreement and echoes the commandment with passion, "We must be Strict to be Effective."

Salaxorius watches the two, and for now, he looks truly satisfied, "Well then, look at you… well done. The prototype seems to understand what we must adhere to in order to maintain the superiority of the Empire." A hint of malice slips into the Quintesson's voice as he promises gently, a tentacle reaching out to encircle the little mech; "But heed my earlier warning, puppet; we all serve the Empire. We serve it exclusively. If you fail to uphold the principles- if you perform acts of defiance to the Empire, you will be worthless and you will be destroyed. You are but a machine; Either you function or you will serve as spare parts. That is a fact, I order you to remember it."  
Hextaida nods obediently, "Acknowledged, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir."  
"I order you to echo it, creation."  
"Acknowledged, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir. Fact: Either this unit functions in service to the Empire… or it will serve as spare parts."  
"That will do, unit. Now, you have been a burden of my valuable time for long enough. I order unit D-HEX-23675 to transfer itself to the Aphos wing and reunite with Master Creator Emphisa and Master Creator Fernicius. Execute the order immediately."  
"Acknowledged, Master Inquisitor Salaxorius Sir, as you command, Sir!"

[Location: Khalanxis, Aphos wing, lab G-20.17]

Fernicius had been left in the lab by Emphisa who went off to do his rounds around the Aphos wing to check with the other projects. As Chief of Science, it was the other Quintesson's never-ending task to oversee all that Aphos was manufacturing. Fernicius disconnected himself from the command console, having made numerous changes to datasets and having made extra classes to improve the direction sense that the prototypes utilized. He was working on the sub-aquatic systems which required a different approach than normal atmospheric telemetries. The Quintesson looked across the room, pausing for a moment to observe the Assistant working at a side-desk. It was carefully mixing several sets of fluids, grinding several kinds of minerals into fine powders and mixing them into the liquids. Then it took measurements of the electrolytic values and documented them.  
Fernicius had to admit that it was an area that he had no knowledge of. But on the other hand, neither Emphisa nor the Assistant knew how to program devices like he knew. They had each ventured into certain areas of specialism to achieve the highest amount of knowledge. Separate, they couldn't know everything. One person knowing it all was impossible in the timeframes and complexities of the projects they ran, never mind vastly narrow-sighted and precarious. But together, there was no limit to what they could create.

The door to the lab beeped and slid open. Fernicius glanced over, perking up in surprise, "Unit D-HEX-23675!" He hovered over to the micromaster-sized mechanism that looked up at him with a slight smile.  
"Hello, Master Creator Fernicius Sir. This unit was ordered by Master Inquisitor Salaxorius to transfer itself back to the Aphos wing and reunite with Master Creator Emphisa and you, Sir."  
Fernicius paused for a bit as he observed the mech with a frown, "Hmm… I observe that Master of Inquisition Salaxorius has expanded your databanks to include the proper etiquette for addressing superiors." He states.  
"Affirmative, Master Creator Fernicius Sir." Hextaida Mandar nodded and confirmed obediently.  
"Where is unit D-HEX-23674?" The Quintesson asked. He could hear how the Assistant stopped its work and turned around to watch the conversation.  
Hextaida did not move as it answered the question, "It was flawed, Master Creator Fernicius Sir, so Master Inquisitor Salaxorius ordered it destroyed."  
"I see. For what transgression was the prototype destroyed, unit D-HEX-23675?"  
"For not following the principles, Master Creator Fernicius Sir. Unit D-HEX-23674 told Untruths during the exercises, Sir" Hextaida Mandar answered him.  
Fernicius observed that there was an air of caution hanging around the D-HEX-23675 unit. It behaved differently, but Fernicius wasn't sure what was different. On first glance, the change wasn't a bad thing in and of itself, but the scientists would pay close attention to the log files to see if the personality core had experienced an overdraft.  
It was bothersome to find the prototype returning, obviously changed, with no witness accounts present. Fernicius would have to file the proper documents to try and obtain copies of any surveillance footage if available, a tedious task he wouldn't be looking forward to considering it involved SecuWatch bureaucratics.

Fernicius opened a comlink call, which was answered by Emphisa,  
"\Yes, Fernicius, what is it you need?\"  
"Honorable Brother Emphisa, unit D-HEX-23675 has returned from the Halls of Justice. Unit D-HEX-23674 has, unfortunately, been destroyed. Its flaws were probably too severe to pass Salaxorius' strict tests."  
"\Ah, I see. And the state of experimental unit D-HEX-23675?\"  
Fernicius gave the prototype in front of him another once-over. It had some bloodspray on its features from the execution, and a bit of wear from the tests that it had been through, but for the rest it looked just fine.  
"Pretty good, Honorable Emphisa Sir." Fernicius relayed cheerfully, "a bit impressed by today's events, I reckon, but we will find out during daily analysis. Do you require seeing the unit prior to that?"  
Emphisa thought this over, evident by his delayed answer, "\Negative, Fernicius. You may proceed to start the data retrieval and accompanying protocols. I am encountering some delays with the Sunnervion project which I don't expect to see resolved within a few hours.\"  
"Acknowledged, Chief Emphisa Sir. I will have the data ready for your perusal for when you return. Good luck with the Sunnervion team, Sir." Fernicius said and closed the transmission. He looked over to the Assistant, "I will be in room 2008 with the prototype. Contact me if anything comes up."  
The Assistant nodded and bowed, "Acknowledged, Master Creator Fernicius Sir."  
"Unit D-HEX-23675, follow me." Fernicius nodded and herded the small formchanger out of the room. He snaked a tentacle around one of the tiny hands as he patiently led the prototype through the hall.

|/]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]   
[End of chapter: Live or die]  
[End of story: Eliciting an emotional response of disobedience.]

Excerpt:_ It was the task of the Masters to observe the population and to make decisions like this. "The Masters keep the population safe." D-HEX-23675 voiced, the thought forming itself from the core of its systems. It was an ingrained bit of knowledge that sparked a feeling of intense security and trust. He did not know where it came from, but had a feeling that it had always been there.*_  
* See the first D-HEX-23675 Journal, chapter 3.

_Author notes:_  
_On character deaths:_  
_The death of D-HEX-23674 was something that was necessary. Like what happened in the first journal, I do not enjoy writing these events, but I write them because they are necessary in portraying the aspects of the civilization that is being constructed. Death is a very, /very/, common occurrence among units in the Quintesson society: Units are ridiculously expendable and the condemning of a unit to its destruction is done with great ease. Quintessons themselves do not fear death as long as it serves the purposes of the empire and to give a good view on the turnaround rate of their units: Autobots and Decepticons hardly create any new units because it's a rare and very expensive technology. They are naturally careful with their numbers; even Megatron isn't quick to kill. Now consider the Quintessons who have the power to create as many new Allicons and Sharkticons as they want, and how that power would mix with their cold efficiency. You get very easy situations._

_Like Salaxorius for example: He doesn't care about the prototypes, he only cares about the integrity test results. D-HEX-23674 had been put in storage, mind separated from body. That's why Macetail was at the Aphos Wing; to retrieve a partially dismantled bot. That's what Emphisa was protesting against; putting Sunam back together and reactivating it. But Sunam's death wasn't a surprise in all this: In the records, Mandar isn't Sunam's brother. It is its replacement. _  
_Sunam's death serves as a reminder that within the Quintesson Empire, life and its continuation really is determined by one's perceived usefulness and integrity. Sunam came up short. The fact that Mandar exists already told us that._

_About character types:_  
_I keep about three classifications of characters in my stories; The obsolete, the facilitators and the drivers._  
_The obsolete are 'npc'; they appear for short amounts of time, do their 'thing' and then leave. Here, a visitor to the Khalanxis facility would be an obsolete if it were to have a few lines in a scene._  
_The facilitators are characters that enable certain things to happen. After the thing has happened, they will disappear either permanently, or sink to the background. They –might- make another appearance after a long period of time. D-HEX-23674 (Hextaida Sunam) was obviously a facilitator to the agenda of Salaxorius; He was 'brought back from the dead' to help Salaxorius test the reaction that D-HEX-23675 would exhibit when faced with critical situations. The Assistant is another facilitator who allows us glimpses into other scenarios around Khalanxis without forcing the need for intricate conversations._  
_The drivers are pivotal characters in the stories; they drive the plot forward by their actions and are the pillars of the storyline: Emphisa, Fernicius, D-HEX-23675 and Salaxorius are all drivers._


	5. Chapter 5 - Data Record - Salaxorius

Attachment #1:

|/]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]   
Salaxorius's data record.  
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Name: Salaxorius  
Species: Quintesson  
Species Subtype: Five faced  
Faction: Quintessons  
Function: Master of Inquisition

Salaxorius is the Master of Inquisition of the Khalanxis Halls of Justice. There are only a few Quintessons who hold more power than him: The Overseer of Khalanxis and the Court of Judgment. Salaxorius is in charge of handling suspects, evidence gathering and court proceedings preparation as well as first line handling of clear-cut infringements of the law. He has a staff of inquisitors and prosecutors at his disposal for this purpose, as well as his own division of Allicons and Sharkticons who carry out his errands. The Allicons form a division called the Arma Iustitiae (Instruments of Justice), recognizable by their gold-plated armor and polished structures; it is said that every unit that does not keep themselves in proper order risks a death sentence for failing to properly represent the Empire. The Sharkticons are trained commandos and executioners but do not stand apart from 'lesser' Sharkticons. Only Quintessons are able to distinguish Commando classifications from normal Sharkticons.

Salaxorius is known for his desire for order and obedience to the law. He is meticulous and strict, unbending in the face of temptation. He considers the law and the Quintesson Empire to be the greater purpose and will do anything to strengthen it. This makes him a diplomatic zealot; a characteristic not rare in Quintessons but one rarely seen wielded with such flawless cunning and practical stability.

The case of Cybertron and the rogue products is a continuing subject of hatred for the Master of Inquisition: They are a blemish on the reputation of the Empire, which is a stain that Salaxorius would love to see eradicated. The D-HEX project, along with the investigation into modern day Cybertron for any purpose other than reclamation, stirs great distrust in Salaxorius. But the law allows these kinds of research so the only thing Salaxorius can do about it is keep a watchful eye. And thus he will remain vigilant. Very vigilant.  
It goes without saying that Salaxorius forms no alliances with any other being further than what the Quintesson Empire requires. He regards each one based on their function and loyalty to the Empire, and prioritizes as such. He has, obviously, leisure to sentence units/suspects to death.

* * *

Fernicius's research analysis report is taking some time for him to write. Let's have a character profile first.


	6. Chapter 6 - Research log 5

Attachment #2: Fernicius's official log.

[********]

Log #5 upon analysis of testing subject D-Hex-23675  
Date: 52 [Data Expunged]  
Contributor: Fernicius, core systems programmer of the D-HEX project line.

The Well-Respected Master of Inquisition of the Khalanxis Halls of Justice, Salaxorius, took temporary ownership of experimental unit D-HEX-23675 for the purpose of an integrity test. We send unit Kalldfire 6625-394-99 to ensure proper delivery of the prototype unit and to make a witness log for later analysis. Master of Inquisition send Kalldfire 6625-394-99 back to us with the message that its presence was unnecessary.

Later, we received the order, signed by the Master of Inquisition, to reactivate unit D-HEX-23674 and send it up as well. Order was adhered to.

[Notition made by Emphisa, date expunged]  
Clarification: it is normal protocol to not have two prototypes active at the same time. In this case, we were overruled by higher jurisdiction.

Due to our inability to observe the integrity tests, we are unable to make a proper report of the behaviors of the prototypes. Unit D-HEX-23674 was destroyed at the end of the test, so we are without its database logs. The logs of D-HEX-23675 were returned unharmed and were thus analyzed by me.

It is my first finding that the personality core of D-HEX-23675 went through a rapid change that connected the experiences of these tests to earlier preserved values that we restored to its systems after conclusions of the Rebirth protocol. Its bonds with the principles that we installed tightened, leaving a bigger imprint on the underlying mainframe.

My second finding is the prototype's sustained loyalty to the principles which emerged in the face of great stress. D-HEX-23675 sought to work together with its predecessor, but analysis revealed that its evaluative perception remained active for the entire duration of the integrity tests. This perception evaluated both the performance of D-HEX-23675 itself as that of D-HEX-23674 and crosschecked them against the principles. Around the time of D-HEX-23674's destruction, I noticed a sudden spike of concern which at some point lowered drastically. On the turning point, the databanks accessed memory cores and looked into the principles, and we achieved aforementioned sustained loyalty from the loyalty codex. These statistics indicate that the unit portrayed proper behavior; it stood united with the other prototype, but adhered to the commands of the Master of Inquisition when ordered to.

My last finding is the emergence of deferent behavior. The integrity test was certainly unlike anything we put the prototype through, and its impact is evident: The unit is still very curious, but has also learned to align itself to the rules and seems more focused on learning the rules and adhering to them. So far, this is all that I have been able to deduce from the system logs.

[Notition made by Emphisa, date expunged]

Addendum: Upon reviewing the data as well, it has come to my attention that the unit responded favorably to the occurrence of unit Macetail affirming its behavior. The moment unit D-HEX-23675 voiced its firm belief in the principles of USVIDA, Macetail sided with it verbally. I noticed a positive surge in the prototype's personality core that runs concurrent with that event. Adding Cindermaw's signs of acceptance of the prototype as a valid unit of the population makes it likely that Allicons and Sharkticons respond well to the life force wavelength that this unit emits; This is of course as per our design, but seeing both sides interact well gives me good hope for the stability of this project.


End file.
